How Hedge Funds are Trading the Big Banks

Insider Monkey – The best performing big bank stock so far this month might be a surprise, with the surprise winner being Citigroup, up over 6% so far this month. Another surprise, of the five stocks we consider the dominant banks, Citi is up the second most year-to-date at 32%. When thinking about the top big bank stocks, the others that come to mind include Wells Fargo & Company, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Bank of America Corp, and U.S. Bancorp.

When looking at the balance sheets and market dynamics of some of the large banks, it is clear that Wells Fargo and U.S. Bancorp have some of the strongest balance sheets. These two companies are primarily focused on U.S. operations, versus the other three who have more European exposure. Citigroup has been the biggest laggard since 2009, but is it time for a breakout?